Elliot I. Axelband

Identifies major missions and analyzes a set of organizational designs for the U. S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command. The commander of Army Materiel Command (AMC) ordered the establishment of a U. S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to consolidate the research and development (R&D) organizations in AMC under one commander. RAND Arroyo Center identified four major missions for RDECOM and analyzed a set of organizational designs best suited for carrying out those missions.

Examines "Acquisition Reform" and "Acquisition Excellence" initiatives undertaken in the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) over the period 1990 to 2003. In the Department of Defense, 63 distinct acquisition reform (AR) initiatives were undertaken from 1989 to 2002. By looking at what the AR movement was in the 1990s (by describing the initiatives launched under its name) and by letting acquisition personnel describe in their own words how their work was affected by those initiatives, the authors seek to shed light on what the AR movement has and has not accomplished in terms of changing the way the acquisition process works.